[Publib] Adults in children's area

[Patty Wanninger]

I think policies regarding appropriate behavior can be written that reserve
the use of children's rooms to children and people interested in children's
literature (which would include the developmentally disabled, teachers,
grandparents, etc.) and allow the removal of unattended adults who just like
to hang around the kiddies to another part of the library.

I also think there can be policies written regarding appropriate behavior
that absolutely allow for the mitigation of the behavior of the toddler
having a meltdown in the adult area. 

However, there is no policy that can make the children's room or any other
room in a public facility a "secure public space." Although I frankly
disbelieve that children are kidnapped from public places ALL THE TIME, even
in Manhattan, (I did a google search on it and came up with a NYT article
from 1874) I also think that despite our best efforts, the library is a
public building, and no more appropriate a place to leave your child to
autonomously walk around than the mall. 

Libraries are such an amazing public resource, and running them takes
judgment, brains and maturity to score in a balk line game, as Professor
Harold Hill says. If we have a brand besides "books," I think it is "access"
and whether you have 5 people in the door per hour or 500, it certainly is a
challenge to have them all get along.

Patty Dwyer Wanninger
Director
Blue Island Public Library 
2433 York Street
Blue Island, IL 60406
708-388-1078 ext 14
-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of subs itoors
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 4:52 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Adults in children's area

Hello Wynita:

I'm afraid I'm in complete disagreement with you. First of all, I'm  
sad that you use the word brat to describe children--especially anyone  
who works in a public service job. But I will not get drawn into an  
argument with you about your attitude towards future generations.

I also think you fail to understand a much more fundamental issue.  
Perhaps in your teeny library it is easy for a child to be watched on  
monitored every minute. And yes, if your library is truly that small,  
clearly it is not such a big issue to have kids in the same space,  
because ostensibly you know the kids coming in and would see if  
someone they don't belong to is taking them.

However, there is a much more concerning issue in larger spaces. It is  
almost impossible for a parent in a larger children's library (for  
example the 6,000 square foot space near us) to watch their child all  
the time--not to mention that it is an important developmental issue  
to allow children of a certain age the autonomy to walk around secure  
public spaces.

Adults have many many other choices of places they can go--the world  
is open to them for public places to relax. They can go to the park,  
to a store, to Starbucks, to JCCs, churches, community centers and so  
on. iIf your community does not have adequate public accommodations  
for adults, then that is what you should be advocating for.

However, children have far more limited places they can go to relax  
and learn, especially in winter. there are many people like you who  
consider kids who are just being kids "brats" so families are  
restricted in the places that they can take them where they can be  
lively and natural.

In the city I live in, kids are stolen from public places ALL THE  
TIME. That is how the rule evolved.

The easiest way to protect children is to create spaces for adults  
that are plentiful enough but to restrict children's areas to children.


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